Red light blanketed the ’Sco as Genghis Tron stormed the stage, punctuated by the eerie blue light on their synthesizers. As the three band members arrived, screamer/keyboardist Mookie Singerman pushed the play button on his MIDI controller and programmed drums, synthesizers and general cacophony ensued.

When it comes down to it, Genghis Tron is simply a metalcore band with electronic interludes between their predictable beats. These interludes were primarily instrumental and for electronic music didn’t really hold up as anything special; the screaming metalcore moments were also typical of their genre.

Two things that make Genghis Tron noteworthy are the novelty of their being an electro-metalcore band and the fact that they have the perfect name for a novelty electro-metalcore act.

The most challenging instrument in metalcore is the drums, which the band has replaced with a drum machine. On the recording this sounds better than a real drummer but in a live setting the stage seemed empty, since drummers are often the most entertaining member of a band to watch. However, the programmed drums and synths allowed the band to perform a tight, almost flawless concert.

Another benefit of the band’s choice of instrumentation was the use of synthesizers, which allowed them a broader sonic pallette, but considering that the band had four keyboards on stage the sounds were fairly limited to spooky pads and guitaresque buzzes. Main keyboardist Michael Sochynsky rocked out while playing his parts that frequently doubled the guitarist, who was far more entertaining to watch.

Guitar wizard Hamilton Jordan’s tight rhythm and clarity complemented the programmed beats while adding the most impressive element to the bands sound — face-melting guitar shredding. The magic of his two-hand tapped lines was aided by the fact that he looked strikingly similar to Harry Potter. The song, “Arms,” required split-second timing as short bursts of tapping started and stopped abruptly. None of the musicians proved to be nearly as entertaining as either their light show or the crowd itself.

The pounding, programmed drums perfectly synced to the flashing multicolored LED lights. The crowd was fairly rowdy, moshing and crowd surfing for many songs. People pushed and shoved often with complete disregard for the music, so the band could get away with their formulas.